10 Best Gifts for Three Year Old Boys

It's fun to shop for gifts for three year old boys. They're interested in so many things, they have wonderful imaginations, and they're filled with boundless energy.

When shopping for my favorite 3 year old, I want to find a gift that his parents will like too. So, the gift can't be too noisy, or messy, and it must be sturdy, and safe.

The best gifts are ones that let the 3 year old be creative, and make up his own stories and ways to play. Shown below are some of the gifts that I'll be giving to my little guy this Christmas, and I know that his parents will approve.

If you need gift ideas for a younger boy, please read the hub I wrote when my little guy was two: 10 Best Gifts for Two Year Old Boys

For a slightly older boy, please take a look at the suggestions in this hub: 10 Best Gifts for Four Year Old Boys

Three year old boys can spend hours driving their cars, trains and boat on a beautiful, big playmat. This one has train tracks, highways and rivers, and will provide hours of fun.

When he's finished playing, just roll up the mat, and store it in a closet or corner of the playroom. The playmat can be used indoors or outdoors, so it will be useful all year round.

If your playroom is in the basement, like mine, this mat will keep the kids warm, while they play on the floor.

For years, boys have dreamed of flying into space or walking on the moon. With this Fisher Price Space Shuttle and Tower, your little guy can add lights, action, and sounds to that space dream.

The play set comes with a space shuttle and crane, a moon vehicle, a tower that has an elevator, and 2 astronauts.

Imagine the stories he'll tell you at dinner time, after he returns from a long trip into outer space.

My favorite 3 year old boy just got one of these fire chief costumes, and wore it for Halloween. He also wore it every day in the two weeks before Halloween, and still enjoys wearing it during playtime.

As always, with Melissa & Doug products, the quality is great. The jacket is a generous size, so it will probably still fit him for next year's trick or treating. In the meantime, he's having hours of fun using the fire extinguisher and bullhorn, and responding to emergencies in the playroom.

Even a 3 year old boy needs a bit of quiet time, and my little guy loves the Toy Story series. The Toy Story 3 movie was recently released on DVD, and I know he'll watch it over and over again.

While he's enjoying the latest antics of Woody, Buzz and Jessie, his parents will have some quiet time too -- and parents usually need some of that!

It's a tradition that young boys love to wear a cape, like their favorite superheroes, and fly around the house. Instead of creating a makeshift cape out of an old towel or blanket, your little superhero would love this bright, shiny red cape.

This cape is safe to wear, because it fastens at the neck with Velcro, so it's easy to get on and off. It's machine washable, so if he gets into any messy heroic adventures, you can get it clean before his next mission.

Boys and cars go together, and these wooden cars from Automoblox are fun, and beautifully made. The kit comes with 3 cars -- and that's a number that every 3 year old likes!

There's a red car, a blue one and a green one, and you can customize them by adding the wheels, windows and details.

These cars are classics, and your little race driver will love them.

I can't decide which of these fold and go building my little guy will like better. Both are made by Melissa & Doug, so they'll be excellent quality.

The barn comes with 7 animals, and there are sliding doors, a hayloft and stalls for the animals.

The castle has a king a queen, two knights and their horses, thrones, a bed, and a treasure chest. For added excitement, there's a working drawbridge, and a dungeon where the bad guys can go.

I'm leaning toward the castle, but the bar sounds fun too. Maybe I'll have to buy one now, and the other for his next birthday!

My 3 year old buddy loves the Richard Scarry books, so this game will be perfect for him. The goal is to find hidden objects in the gigantic board game's streets, farm, airport and harbour.

There are hundreds of objects to find, so it will never get boring! The game encourages team work too, so the young players won't get discouraged, when playing with older kids.

Finally, at the end of a long day of 3 year old fun and adventures, a lovely storybook will help prepare him for bedtime.

This beautiful book, by Deborah Underwood, shows all kinds of quiet -- like "pretending you're invisible" quiet, "lollipop quiet" and "sleeping sister" quiet.

Your little guy will love the words and pictures, and you will too!